3 Ways to Prepare for the Outdoor Catering Season

Outdoor catering events, from weddings and company picnics to family reunions, are just around the corner. Spring marks the right time to check your inventory of equipment and supplies to make sure you’re ready to go for the busy season ahead. Do these three things now:

1. Inspect your equipment, including ovens, beverage dispensers and refrigeration units, now and before every event to make sure they’re in working order. Do routine maintenance, replacing worn out wheels, inspecting joints on grills and conducting a thorough cleaning. It’s also a good idea to store equipment in a climate-controlled environment during the coldest part of the winter when possible to protect it from the elements.

2. Replenish any missing or damaged items. “It’s very easy for flatware and even table settings to ‘walk off’ at outdoor events,” says Charles Hatchett, senior sales representative, KaTom Restaurant Supply, Kodak, Tenn. Also, if you’re using the compostable, environmentally friendly disposable dinnerware made out of bamboo, cornstarch, coconut shell or sugar cane, keep in mind those materials can break down over time.

3. Once you know your schedule, talk with your suppliers to make sure you’ll have the right amounts of disposables and raw product in for your events. “The worst thing you can do is have an event scheduled for a Saturday and find out a few days before that your source doesn’t have enough equipment for you,” says Bob Kelchner, senior design advisor, Clark Food Service Equipment, Lancaster, Pa.